Watchman&#39;s clock



June 19, 1951 G. G. GRur-:TTNER 2,557,370

WATCHMANS CLOCK Filed March 29, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor Gerard Gustav Grueffner ni/Muay me);

June 19, 1951 G. G. GRUTTNER WATCI-MANS CLOCK Filed March 29, 1949 Fig.6`.

Gerard Gustav Grueffner June 19, 1951 G. G. GRUETTNER 2,557,870

u WATCHMANS CLOCK Filed March 29, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig. 5. 42

F,'g 4 Gerard Gustav Grueffner Patented June 19, 1951 Gerard Gustav Gruettner, Atlanta,` Ga., assigner to Latham Time Recorder Company, Atlanta,

Application March 29, 1949, Serial No. 84,043

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a watchmans clock of the type carried by watchmen and used in connection with a plurality of keys which are secured, ordinarily by chains, at as many stations located at diiTerent points in the premises to be guarded.

A primary object of the inventionris toprovide a clock which will make an easily legible and accurate record on paper dials of conventional character used in the clock showing the times at which the different keys were inserted and turned in the clock, there being provided an improved mechanism for suitably embossing the said paper dial.

Another object of this invention is to provide an assembly, hereinafter referred to as the as sembly for punching and embossing a paper dial, mcuntedupon the hinge used to secure the casing and the door, this incorporation of the said assembly with the hinge structure resulting in a simplication in the manufacture of the devices, and the interchangeability of the said assemblies on diiferently sized and otherwise differently formed clocks.

Another important object, closely allied with the preceding object, is to provide the paper dial punching and embossing assembly on the hinge so that the parts carried by the door and the parts carried by the casing are preservedin strict registration due to the proximity tothe hinge pin. Otherwise stated, incorporation of the said assembly with thehinge allowsfpart of the assembly to be mountedon the door while another part can be mounted on the casing, without loss of accurate registration of the two parts.

Still another object of this invention is to provide means, incorporated with the hinge structure, for recording on the paper dial the time when the door is closed,'thus making it diilicultfor any unauthorized person to open and close thedor without leaving a permanent record of the exact time when this was done.

And a last object to be mentioned specifically is to provide a watchmans clock of the character mentioned above which will give efficient and durable service, which will be simple and accurate in operation, and easily repaired andv adjusted when necessary, which has several devices incorporated therewith to prevent unauthorized tampering with themechanisrn, and which will be relatively simple and inexpensive -to manufacture.

With these objects definitely in view, this invention resides in certain novel features of'oonstruction, combination and arrangementof elehe ments and portions as will be hereinafter described in detail in the specification, particularly pointed out in the appended claims, and illustratedin the accompanying drawings which form a, material part of this application, and in which:

Figure l is an elevational View of the assembled clock, showing the door opened and disposed vertically while the casing is disposed horizontally;

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view, taken on the line 2-2 in Figure 1;

kFigure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 3 3 in Figure l;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional View designed particularly to indicate the position of the arm carrying a pointed member to prick the paper dial when the door is nearly closed;

Figure 5 isa View similar to Figure 4 but showing the arm retracted into the position assumed when the door is fully closed;

Figure Gis a vertical cross sectional View, taken substantially on the line 5-5 in Figure 5 and showing the key inserted in the slot provided therefor and before the key is turned;

Figure '7 is a view similar to Figure 6 and showing the position of the various elements when the key has been inserted and turned after such insertion;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary top plan View of the assembled device with the part of the assembly carried by the door shown in the position assumed when the door is closed, the door being removed in this gure;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary top plan View of that part of said assembly which is mounted upon the casing; and

Figure 10 is a three dimensional view of the key used with this clock.

Similar characters of reference designate similar or identical elements and portions throughoutthe specification and throughout the different Yviews in the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, this invention includes a casing i@ having an apertured front panel E2 through which the dial of the clock mechanism may be viewed. The casing I0 will contain a clock mechanism, thought unnecessary to be illustrated in this application, having a spindle i4 projecting through a panel i6 yon the side of the said mechanism remote from the front apertured panel l2, and this panel I6 is rigidly secured to the casing IG and seals the clock mechanism therein. The spindle I4 will carry vmeans I8 of conventional form for securing a paper dial E@ upon the end of the spindle.

A cover 22, preferably formed with a rim flange 2Q to fit within a corresponding rim portion of the casing I0, is hinged to the casing by the assembly generally indicated at 26 in Figures 1, 2 and 8. The cover 22 will be secured in closed position on the casing l by'a latch 28 which engages a channel member 36 on the panel I6, these members being best shown in Figures 1 and 2. The hinge may be thought of as including an attachment plate 32 secured to the panel I6 on the casing and an attachment plate 34 secured, ordinarily by screws, to the inside surface of the cover 22, and it should be particularly noted that the plate Sli is oiset by an integral block member 3S. The numeral 38 identifies the screws used to secure the plate 34 to the cover 22. The hinge pin di] should be, at least in part, set into the casing and/or the cover 22 so as to make it diflcult to remove this hinge pin when the cover is closed and locked.

An arm i2 of U-shape is pivoted as indicated at Atto the block member 35 and this arm carries a pointed member 44 on the bight portion thereof, the pointed member Mi being dimensioned and positioned to register with and terminally enter the bore 45 in the plate 32 when the door is in nearly closed position. This action is best illustrated in Figure 4. A pair of spiral springs i6 will be secured under tension between lugs provided on the plate 32 and lateral portions of the arm 42 adjacent to the pivot pin 43 but disposed on the side thereof remote from the casing, so that the arm will be biased into a position causing the pointed member 44 to pierce the paper dial 20 when the cover 22 is nearly closed. Heel portions 4i on the U-shaped arm 42 are positioned and dimensioned to engage adjacent portions of the plate 32 when the cover 22 is in fully closed position, thus raising the pointed member M out of engagement with the paper dial 2B and allowing this paper dial to turn with the spindle I4.

The block member 3B has a key hole i8 formed t therein and the plate 3A has an elongated member 5@ integral therewith and deiiningV a channel registering with the key hole 48. This channel 5i! accepts'that part of the key 52 indicated at 52, the drawings indicating the channel 50 and the member 52 as being cylindrical. Ii reference be had to Figure 10, it will be noted that a representative key will also include a plate 56 with an upraised portion 58 having an embossed numeral B thereon, located according to the station desired to be identified by the particular key. The key will also have a slot 52 giving clearance to the block member 36 when the key is turned, and an aperture B2 will be provided in the plate 56 to receive a pin $6 selectively insertable in the threaded apertures 68, best indicated in Figures 8 and 9, thus making it possible to limit the use of the key according to the positioning of the pin $6 in these apertures 68. As a further precaution against unauthorized use of keys in the clock, an angle iron guard 'i0 is screwed onto the plate 32 adjacent to the key hole 28 when the cover is in Yclosed position and a notch 12 in this member i6 is dimensioned and positioned to accept the upraised portion 58 of the key 52 when the proper key is used, while refusing entrance to keys of other configuration.

A roller M, having reduced terminal portions 'I6 disposed in slots 19 in a cross member 18 prefin the corresponding portion of the block member 36, is engaged by the edge of the plate 56 of the key when the key is turned after insertion. A leaf spring is secured to a ange 82 formed integral with the plate Sli and the ends of the leaf spring 80 engage the reduced end portions 1G of the roller 'M to bias the same toward the key, and as a result a snap action is achieved whereby the key is snapped forcefully toward the plate member 82 having embossing characters 85 thereon and rigidly secured to the face of the plate 32. Ordinarily there will be a plurality of characters 86 on this plate 82 and these characters will be linearly arranged to correspond with markings on the paper dial 2li and with the characters 60 on the diierent keys 52.

The operation of this invention will be clearly understood from a consideration of the drawings and the above description of the mechanical details thereof, taken in connection with the above recitation of the objects of this invention. Further description would, therefore, appear to be unnecessary.

Minor modification from the embodiment disclosed in the drawings and in the above specication may be resorted to without departure from the spirit of this invention which is dei-ined as to scope in the sub-joined claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

l. A watchmans clock including a casing and a cover, a hinge connecting the cover on the casing, a clockwork mechanism in the casing and having a spindle to support and to rotate a paper dial, a panel adjacent the cover and covering said mechanism within the casing, a paper dial punching and embossing assembly on said hinge, said punching assembly comprising an arm pivoted on said hinge and extending diametrically across the inside of the cover, a pointed member depending from the end portion of said arm remote from the hinge, means to bias said arm to pivot toward said panel when the cover is opened, said arm having a heel portion engaging a portion of the hinge and forcing said arm to retract toward said cover when the cover is closed.

2. A watchmans clock including a casing and a cover, a hinge connecting the cover on the casing, a clockwork mechanism in the casing and having a spindle to support and to rotate a paper dial, a panel adjacent the cover and covering said mechanism within the casing, a paper dial punching and embossing assembly on said hinge, said hinge having a pair of attachment plates, a member having embossing characters thereon mounted on one of said plates, a key having an embossing character thereon, the second of said plates having a slotted portion to receive said key, means to guide said key into position with its embossing character registering with one of the characters on said member, and a spring biased roller to attribute a snap action to the key when the same is turned in said slotted portion.

3. A watchmans clock including a'casing and a cover, a hinge connecting the cover on the casing, a clockworkY mechanism in the casing and having a spindle to support and to rotate a paper dial, a panel adjacent the cover and covering said mechanism within the casing, a paper dial punching and embossing assembly on said hinge, said hinge having a pair of attachment plates, a member having embossing characters thereon mounted on one of said plates, a key having an embossing character thereon, the second of said plates having a slotted portion to receive said key, means to guide said key into position with its embossing character registering with one of the characters on said member, a spring biased roller to attribute a snap action to the key when the same is turned in said slotted portion, an arm carrying a pointed member and pivoted on one of said plates, spring means to bias the arm to pivot toward the other of said plates, and means to pivot the arm away from the last mentioned plate when the cover is fully closed on the casing.

GERARD GUSTAV GRUE'I'I'NER..

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 324,972 Zehnder Aug. 28, 1885 912,957 Hausburg Feb. 16, 1909 1,135,529 Jenkins Apr. 13, 1915 1,499,301 Herrmann June 24, 1924 1,865,060 Cool June 28, 1932 

